Warning: the following article contains some minor spoilers for The Little Mermaid.
Fans have flocked to social media to declare a boycott of Disney, following an alleged swipe at Catherine, Princess of Wales in the live action remake of The Little Mermaid. According to Page Six, the Disney remake includes several references to the British royal family, with one reviewer taking umbrage at the mention of Catherine and the late Princess Diana during a scene after Princess Ariel has lost her voice.
“[Ariel] can’t speak so [Prince Eric] tries to guess her name,” the reviewer recalled. “His first guess is Diana. His second guess is Catherine, but after [Ariel gives a disgusted] reaction, he [concludes] ‘OK, definitely not Catherine.’” Audiences have taken Ariel’s extreme reaction to the misnaming as evidence of a swipe against Catherine, especially since she was named alongside a fellow member of the royal family.
“#BoycottDisney because the dig at the Princes of Wales is just unnecessary,” one user wrote on Twitter. “Why did they think this would help their movie at the box office??? Most Americans do not care about the British monarchy.” Refusing to believe the dialogue was coincidental, one fan said Disney “knew exactly what they were doing,” while others said the supposed dig was undeserving given Catherine’s life of service and “undertaking [of] programs to improve the children’s lives.”
“What has she ever done to them to be that hateful while making a film for children?” another user questioned. “That’s absolute bullying.” Other fans saw The Little Mermaid scene as a dig to both the Princess and everyone with her name, writing that Disney hadn’t “considered the effect on any little girl who’s name happens to be ‘Catherine’”. On the opposing side, some fans came to Disney’s defence, believing that screenwriters simply “took modern names.”
“No wonder there’s so much angst in the world if u nit pick every little thing,” they added, “they are just NAMES.” Amid all the debate, people have stressed that Halle Bailey — who portrays the titular sea princess — is not involved in the swipe, highlighting that actress’ friendship with Catherine and placing blame “all on producers.”
Comparisons between The Little Mermaid and the royal family first arose in 2021, when Meghan Markle, the wife of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, told Oprah Winfrey that her love story was similar to that of Ariel. “I went, ‘Oh my God, she falls in love with the prince and because of that she loses her voice,’” Markle said.